Cinema has shaped my life.
Little ones?
Yes, I was born in a cinema in Alaró owned by my father, I grew up in the Hollywood video club, I inherited the Casablanca, I wanted to be a film director.
…I va wonderr cofundant of the film.
In all stages of my life my partner has been the cinema. I was a restless and lucky viewer because the cinema did not end in the theater, it continued at home. My father owned video clubs.
They had their moment.
Many of us witnessed the closing of village cinemas. Luckily, we were able to celebrate the opening of the neighborhood video clubs.
How was the atmosphere?
People went there to spend the afternoon and also to learn: sentimental and vital learning. Many of us have been trained by watching movies; in my case, behind and in front of the counter.
Watching and recommending?
At the age of six he went to the cinema every Friday, and at the age of ten he was already behind the counter recommending films.
Then he watched movies that he didn’t belong to.
Yes, I had an understanding and generous father, and seen from today’s perspective, radical. It allowed me to watch Platoon at age nine and Átame at age 11, powerful life lessons.
What movie marked him?
Te querré siempre, with Ingrid Bergman, which is about a marriage that breaks up. I saw it at the age of 14 without understanding it much, but it taught me the signs of crisis in a couple, which decades later I have been recognizing in my own life.
I had acne and was chubby?
Yes, that’s why the cinema worked for me sometimes as a guide and at other times as a refuge.
Behind the counter at 10 years old, was he taken seriously?
When they asked me to recommend a movie to them, I would ask: “What’s the last one you saw that you liked?”, and with the answer and seeing the face with which he arrived, if he was tired or restless, the was right
But he was a child.
cinephile While my parents slept I went to the living room to watch movies one after the other. At the age of 21 I learned the business when I inherited the video club Casablanca.
why so early
My father died. I was studying cinema in Barcelona and I had to combine it with the business. The video clubs lived their splendor between the years 1980 and 1989, but when private televisions were born, it ended, until people got tired of Las Mama Chicho.
And they go back to the video club?
Yes, second heyday: from 1994 to 2003. I took over the video club in 1999, when customers came to spend the afternoon. I spent all the transfer money inviting them to dinner to end that period well.
What happened to his father?
He had a heart attack playing tennis at the age of 55. I grew up suddenly. I had to fight the sadness and the feeling of failure when I realized that I was not going to be a film director, aware of my limitations: there were people who were doing it much better than me.
Didn’t even try?
The job of directing requires provocation, conviction and a self-esteem that is proof of all kinds of failures, and I had too many insecurities, but fortunately I have served as a distributor and prescriber.
He has created a model and award-winning platform.
What we have achieved in 16 years was unimaginable in Spain, and there is none in Europe.
He congratulated.
In this country it has been repeatedly said that there was not enough of an audience for auteur cinema; Filmin’s success proves the opposite.
What have been your learnings?
We often lack self-criticism and have too much self-destruction.
Movie theaters dead?
They are still alive, but it is time to return to the neighborhoods: without proximity, closure is near.
Theaters make more money selling popcorn than tickets.
The key is to find balance. It is important to make money by selling cinema, combining culture and entertainment.
Where does cinema enjoy more health?
France is the reference, able to train in cinema from childhood, so there is interest in all kinds of cinematographic culture. But the UK is also doing great work with local theaters and public film libraries in towns and cities.
You are currently spending more time selecting on the platforms than watching anything.
I say we suffer from the big museum tourist syndrome: a lot to see and little time, so you end up with what you’ve already seen or what they recommend. But I celebrate the restlessness of having so much to see.
